Acer announced a pair of shiny new Ultrabooks at Computex and we were on hand to have a play with the new thin models.

To say that the new models were popular with the media attending the event would be an understatement, as it took us a good half hour to even get close to some of the products announced today.

The new Aspire S7 models come in 11.6 and 13.3-inches and the larger of the two sports a glass cover on the lid, whereas the smaller one has a simpler metal cover. Acer’s big selling point of the two new models isn’t the design, though - a vast improvement on earlier Ultrabooks from the company - but rather the touchscreen displays.

Conversationally the touchscreen seems more like a gimmick to us on a notebook, rather than something truly useful, although it was hard to get a good idea with regard to how well it would work, as Acer’s staff weren't overly happy at letting anyone play with the new models.

At least we can’t complain about the build quality, because Acer has really upped the game here with a solid feel to both models. Beyond the glass and metal screen backs, Acer has made what feels like two really well-built machines, especially compared to some of its previous high-end models.

The company was also tight-lipped about the hardware specifications as the Aspire S7 isn’t launching for a few months yet and apparently it doesn’t want to give away anything to the competition. What we do know is that we can expect an Ivy Bridge CPU in both models, with the 11.6-incher coming with USB 3.0, a micro HDMI port and a microSD card reader. The 13.3-inch model has a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SD card reader and a micro HDMI port.

However, this isn’t all: Acer has thrown in Thunderbolt support in both models and this should make them more appealing for those looking for advanced connectivity option in an Ultrabook. We’re not sure why you’d want to fold your screen flat against a table though, as Acer is touting the 180-degree screen hinge of the 13.3-incher as one of its selling points.

Staring at US$999 and going all the way to US$1,799 for the highest-end model, the Aspire S7 isn’t going to be cheap, but Acer has at least raised both its quality and features bar a few notches, something the company has needed badly.